Jack
& Jill Have Triplets At 55 Water Street

Peregrine
Falcons Can Be Seen On The Internet

Commissioner Christopher O. Ward of the New York City Department of Environmental
Protection (DEP) announced today that Jack and Jill are the proud parents
of triplets. The Peregrine Falcon couple and their three daughters reside
on the fourteenth floor of 55 Water Street, overlooking the East River near
the southern tip of Manhattan. The family can be seen live at the nest on
two Web sites: www.nyc.gov/dep and www.55water.com.

"We are pleased to report that DEP Wildlife Biologist, Christopher
Nadareski, placed identification bands on the chicks yesterday and found them
to be in perfect health," said Commissioner Ward. "Hatched from
their eggs three weeks ago, the fuzzy chicks are developing feathers now and
will be fledging from the nest within two-and-a-half to three weeks. The computer
screen provides a great way to watch the parents bring food to the nest and
observe the chicks' rapid development."

In 1993, a pair of Peregrine Falcons, Jack and Diane, established a nest
site and raised several broods of young at the Bank of New York Building on
Wall Street. The couple moved to 55 Water Street in 1999 and raised several
more broods. Jack was born and banded in 1990 on the Verrazano-Narrows Bridge,
while Diane's origins are unknown. Diane, estimated to be about 13 years old,
was found in lower Manhattan, in 2001, with a severely arthritic wing and
is now in retirement at Cornell University. Jill, a newcomer on the scene,
met up with Jack in the fall of 2001 and has become his new life partner.
Staff at 55 Water Street has been able to read a band on Jill's leg, and have
traced her back to the Carpenter Nature Center in Iowa where she was banded
in 1992. Peregrines mate for life, but readily find new partners when a mate
dies or otherwise disappears from the territory.

After World War II, the widespread application of organo-chloride pesticides,
primarily DDT, caused eggshell thinning and reproductive failure in Peregrine
Falcons, as well as some other bird species, and Peregrines were extirpated
from the eastern United States by the early 1960s. They have been making a
remarkable recovery, but are still listed as Endangered Species in New York
and some other eastern states.

Today, there are 15 territorial pairs of Peregrines Falcons and 12 active
nest sites within the five boroughs of the City. 55 Water Street is the only
one being televised on the Internet. Other sites include the Verrazano Bridge,
the Throgs Neck Bridge, Riverside Church, New York Hospital, and the Brooklyn
Bridge.

DEP, in cooperation with the New York State Department of Environmental
Conservation, manages the Peregrine Falcon program in the metropolitan area.
The program involves ensuring that nesting falcons have appropriate nesting
boxes to prevent eggs and young from rolling off nests; inspecting the birds
and their nests to ensure that they are free of disease; banding the birds
so that their travels and lifetimes can be traced, maintaining records of
the birds, and protecting them from human disturbance.

Commissioner Ward said, "We at DEP are particularly pleased that the
management and staff of 55 Water Street have been so helpful in every respect,
from installing cameras at the nest site to establishing the Internet connection,
from providing materials for the nest box to keeping us informed on the birds
activities.

Additional information about Peregrine Falcons in the City and around the
country can be found at: